The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service announced today that the United States will
prohibit the importation of queen conch, its meat, shells, and other
products from three Caribbean countries– Honduras, the Dominican
Republic, and Haiti– in support of an international effort to
help stem continued and significant declines in this species. The ban
implements restrictions in the United States that have been called for
globally under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES.

“The United States
is the world’s largest marketplace for queen conch, accounting
for 80 percent of the legal trade,” said Service Director Steve
Williams. “We are joining our CITES partners in implementing and
enforcing this global conservation action to make sure queen conch is
a sustainable and valuable commercial resource throughout the Caribbean
region.”

A similar embargo on international
trade under CITES is already in place for queen conch and conch products
from four other Caribbean countries– Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados;
Dominica; and Trinidad and Tobago. Before trade can resume, each of
these seven countries must implement a number of long-term conservation
measures, such as conducting population surveys and developing scientifically
sound species management programs to ensure the sustainability of its
conch population.

Queen conch, an edible marine
snail recognized worldwide by its large, beautiful pink shell, is found
throughout the Caribbean Sea, including Florida, Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands as well as in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda. Heavily
fished for its meat, a tourist favorite, its shells and pearls are sought
after by collectors and for jewelry, making queen conch one of the most
important Caribbean fisheries. This species is vulnerable to commercial
exploitation as once it is depleted, it can take many years to recover.

The Service is the federal
agency responsible for implementing CITES in this country. Working with
its Federal partners, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Commerce
Department’s NOAA-Fisheries, The Service promotes regional cooperation,
scientifically-based management plans, and enhanced law enforcement
capabilities. Marking its 30th anniversary this year, CITES is a treaty
to which the U.S. and some 160 other nations belong, including Honduras
and the Dominican Republic. The treaty provides for the monitoring and
regulating of international commerce in wild animal and plant species
through a system of permits.

Since the mid-1980's, the
State of Florida and the Federal government have banned all harvest
of native queen conch populations found in State of Florida waters and
adjacent Federal waters. In 1992, the U.S. proposal to place queen conch
on CITES appendix II was adopted by the CITES parties. An appendix II
listing includes species that, although currently not threatened with
extinction, may become so without trade controls. These controls ensure
trade is legal and does not threaten the species’ survival in
the wild.

“Although the U.S.
is temporarily closing its doors to queen conch imports from these three
countries in order to give these populations an opportunity to recover,
Americans can still purchase this commodity from other countries where
legal trade is allowed,” Williams said. “However, we are
now asking U.S. tourists who visit the Caribbean to take care before
purchasing any queen conch meat or souvenirs because they chance having
it confiscated upon their return.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving,
protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages
the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses
540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other
special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries,
64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such
as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Aid program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies.